Safety panel-box.



Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

@wumfoz H. F. KRANTZ.

SAFETY PANEL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 191-7.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBERT F. KRANTZ, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO KRANTZ MAN UFAC-TURING- COMPANY, INCL, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

SAFETY PANEL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Application filed March 31, 1917. Serial No. 158,959.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT F. KRANTZ, residing at Brooklyn, in thecounty of-Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Safety Panel-Boxes, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a safety panel box.

A particular object of the invention is to provide improved andpositively operating means for rendering the panel box safe anduniformly eflicient even in the hands of an inexperienced operator.

A more specific object is to provide a panel box in which the switchmechanism is mounted in a stationary position within the box, and inwhich means is provided operatively associated with the switch mechanismfor positively locking the door closed whenever the switch is in the on?position and for positively locking the switch in the off positionwhenever the door is open.

A further more detailed object is to provide a member fixed to andmovable with the door having a part disposed to stand in the path ofmovement of a part fixed movable with the switch blade to positivelyprevent movement of the switch blade to the on position when the door isopen; and to provide said member with another part disposed to engagethe mentioned part of the switch blade when the switch blade is in theon position whereby to positively pre vent swinging movementof the doortoward open position.

Other ob'ects and aims of the invention, more or less specific thanthose referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed outin the course of the following description of the elements,combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles,constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplatedwill be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as a part of thisspecification, and in which I have shown ,merely a preferred form ofembodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a panel boxconstructed in accordance with this invention, theparts beingillustrated in elevation, the switch being shown in the on position.

Fig. 2 is a view slmilar to that shown-in metal or otherwise, accordingto preference.

In the drawing it is shown to be made of sheet metal.

The switch mechanism G is arranged within the box being preferably fixedto the upper wall 1 of the box and having a handle 2 projecting throughan opening 8 formed through said upper wall.

The switch mechanism per 86 is substantially the same as thatillustrated in my copending application Serial No. 7 9,094, andcomprises a swinging double-ended contact member or blade 4, adapted tobe swung by the handle 2 for moving its opposite ends into and out ofelectrical engagement with the stationary contact members 5 and 6, whichare within the box, being preferably carried upon a suitable base 7 ofinsulating material.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, the switch mechanism is shown in full lines inthe off position, and in dotted lines in the on position.

A stud or stop 8 is carried by the frame 9 upon which the blade 4 isfixed so that said stud is fixed to and positively movable with theblade into the two positions shown in Fig. 1.

Additional blades, as 10, may be fixed to move with theqblade, 4 ifdesired, in a well understood manner.

The usual fuses, as 11, are arranged within the box, being carriedbetween suitable clips 12 and 13, andbeing disposed so that when theswitch blades are in the on position the electric current will pass. tosaid fuses along extensions 14 from the contact members 6.

' When the switch blades are in the off position the current isdead-ended in the position an operator may insert fuses at will andwithout receiving a shock, and the presence of switch mechanism and theswitch blade or blades will constitute an eflicient barrier to guardagainst possible chance of the operators hand or tool coming intoengagement with the currentcarrying contacts 5.

When the switch blades are in the on position however, the operatorshand must not be inserted into the box for any purpose and for thisreason a door, as 15, which is provided as a part of the upper wall 1just above the fuse position for giving access to the fuses, is providedwith a rigid extension or looking member 16 which is fixed theretoadjacent the hinge part of the door and which projects backwardly fromthe hinged part beneath the adjacent portion of the wall 1 within thebox. This locking member has an arcuate edge surface 17 made concentricwith the hinge and disposed to slide closely over the stud 8 wheneverthe door is opened. A shoulder 18 en gages the stud to limit the openingmovement of the door, and while the surface stands over the stud, it ismanifestly impossible to move the stud upwardly to circuit-closingposition.

The locking member is formed also to provide a surface 19 along whichthe stud may move into circuit-closing or circuitopening position solong as the door remains closed. When the stud is in oircuit-openingposition, as shown by the full lines in Fig. 1, the door may be readilyopened, but when in circuit-closing position, as shown by the dottedlines in Fig. 1, the stud will stand in the path of movement of thesurface 19 of the locking member and will positively prevent swingingmovement of the locking member. The door is thereby positively heldclosed.

If desired, an auxiliary door-retainin g device, as at H, may beemployed at the free edge of the door for locking the door closed. Thisdevice also serves as a handle by means of which the dOOr may bemanipulated.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departingfrom the scope of the following claims, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description, or shown in the accompanyingdrawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A panel box having a pivotally mounted door giving entrance thereto,a switch mechanism arranged within the box including a switch blademovable toward and away from the door, a bracket carried by the doorwithin the box having a portion projecting beyond the door pivot andinto proximity with the switch mechanism, said bracket having a marginaledge portion substantially concentric with the door pivot and havinganother marginal edge portion continuing inwardly from one end of saidfirst edge portion substantially in the general direction of said doorpivot, and a stop carried by the switch mechanism rigid with Said blademovable in the general direction toward and away from the door pivotwhen the blade is operated adapted to traverse said last mentioned edgeportion while the door is closed and to be restrained from movementtoward the door pivot when the door is open, together with a contactdisposed to be engaged by the switch blade when said stop moves towardthe door pivot.

2. A panel box having a pivotally mounted door giving entrance thereto,a switch mechanism arranged within the box including a switch blademovable toward and away from the door, a pivotally mounted carrier forthe switch blade to which the switch blade is rigidly connected, andoperating mechanism for said carrier operable to swing the carrier aboutan axis substantially parallel to the door pivot, a bracket carried bythe door within the box having a portion projecting beyond the doorpivot and into proximity with the switch mechanism, said bracket havinga marginal edge portion substantially concentric with the door pivot andhaving another marginal edge portion continuing inwardly from one end ofsaid first edge portion substantially in the general direction of saiddoor pivot, and a stop fixed to said switch blade carrier movable in thegeneral direction toward and away from the door pivot when the carrieris operated adapted to traverse said last mentioned edge portion whilethe door is closed and to be restrained from movement toward the doorpivot when the door is open, together with a contact disposed to beengaged by the switch blade when the carrier moves toward the doorpivot.

3. A panel box having a front wall a part of which comprises a doorpivotally connected to move into open and closed positions for givingaccess into the box, a switch mechanism arranged within the box beingsupported by said front wall adjacent the door pivot, said switchmechanism including a switch blade movable into on and ofi positions andan operating handle projecting exteriorly of the box to move said blade,a bracket fixed rigidly with the door and projecting rearwardly of thepivot thereof into proximity to said switch blade, and a part of saidbracket adjacent said blade having an ancuate surface portionsubstantially concentric with the door pivot and having another surfaceportion continuing inwardly from said first surface portionsubstantially in the general direcmovement of the switch blade when thedoor 10 tion of the door pivot, and a stop carried is open.

rigid with said switch blade to move there- In testimony whereof I aiiixmy signature with in the general direction toward and in the presence oftwo witnesses.

away from the door pivot, and said mentioned surfaces of said bracketbeing posi- HUBERT hRANTZ' tioned to cooperate with said stop in aWitnesses:

manner to prevent opening of the door when JOHN L. Korma,

the switch blade is on and to prevent on I J. A. NEWTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addreuingthe Gommiuioner of Patents. Walhington, D. G.

